The Coiling Serpent Technique had officially begun.
In the blink of an eye, Tagitsuhime and Kazuyama had remained in their fused state for six hours. By this point, more than half of the giant snake's body had coiled around him. A faint red glow emanated from his body as the natural energy within him slowly merged with the scarlet energy.
Another six hours passed.
Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime remained patient. For beings like them, who had trained for centuries, twelve hours was nothing.
"It's almost complete..."
"As long as Tagitsuhime's snake form fully integrates into Kazuyama's body, the Coiling Serpent Technique will be complete..."
Upon hearing Tagorihime's words, Ichikishimahime's expression turned serious.
"But the final snake head is the most dangerous part. I hope they succeed."
As she had pointed out, the last step—the fusion of the snake's head—was the most difficult.
As the snake's head slowly faded into Kazuyama's body, his body trembled, and a flicker of pain crossed his face. The head contained the most violent and exaggerated energy of all. Even though he had prepared himself, the sheer power threatened to overwhelm him.
Fortunately, his strong will allowed him to endure.
He let the raging energy circulate through his body, slowly refining it. A crimson glow surged around him, forming the image of a snake above him.
"The snake form has taken shape—they did it!" Tagorihime's voice was filled with joy.
In the sky, the snake form shifted, gradually morphing into a human figure—the exact likeness of Tagitsuhime.
"Yay! So this is what the Coiling Serpent Technique looks like. Not bad at all," she said with a satisfied smile as she examined her own spectral form.
With the emergence of the phantom, the red snake on Kazuyama's body emitted a faint reddish glow.
His own appearance also began to change—two deep crimson horns sprouted from either side of his forehead, a small layer of crimson scales covered the sides of his face, and a dark red hue appeared in his eyes.
His once-black hair turned crimson, faintly radiating red light.
He looked almost demonic.
At that moment, Kazuyama opened his eyes. His pupils had transformed into crimson vertical slits—snake eyes.
"So this is Sage Mode... That feels pretty good..."
His voice had become hoarse, carrying an oppressive weight—like a serpent's hiss.
"Hmph! What Sage Mode? You're still far from it."
"What you're feeling is just the power of my Senjutsu—you can't use it at all."
"You're all bark and no bite!"
Tagitsuhime's words were as sharp as ever, immediately exposing his situation.
Kazuyama's face fell. He muttered, "You, Snake Princess... are really... annoying."
Yes, despite looking like he had entered Sage Mode, it was nothing more than an illusion.
In reality, he still had no ability to use it.
"Hahaha! But don't be discouraged—you've only been learning Senjutsu for a few days."
"Besides, with the Coiling Serpent Technique, I can completely become your strength."
"Is there anyone who can resist my power of Senjutsu?"
Tagitsuhime looked smug. As one of the three Snake Princesses of Ryūchi Cave—the Red Snake—who could possibly be her match?
"You'd better stop bragging," Tagorihime said, shaking her head. "Right now, you're attached to Kazuyama. If he can't use Senjutsu, then you are affected too. I doubt your Senjutsu is even half as strong as before."
Tagitsuhime froze, momentarily speechless.
Not believing a word of it, she immediately activated her Senjutsu. A series of illusions appeared—houses, tables, food—but as she examined them more closely, her expression darkened.
No matter how she used her Senjutsu, its effectiveness had weakened.
For example, the table she conjured once had intricate, visible grain patterns, but now it was just a smooth, glossy surface.
"The Coiling Serpent Technique was originally designed to combine the powers of humans and snakes to create a Sage body."
"Now that there's only a snake and no human, how can you expect to wield 100% of your strength?"
Kazuyama and Tagitsuhime exchanged glances. Then, in the next second—
"Ah! This is all your fault! You've weakened my power!" Tagitsuhime swung her fist at him in frustration.
"Huh?! I've only been practicing Senjutsu for a few days! Have some respect!"
Kazuyama wasn't about to take that insult lying down, and just like that, the two began bickering.
By the time they tired themselves out, Kazuyama turned to Tagorihime and Ichikishimahime.
"Can I choose one of you to perform the Coiling Serpent Technique instead?"
Unfortunately, both of them shook their heads at the same time.
"In your current state, you can only perform the Coiling Serpent Technique with one of us."
"For now, you can only fuse this technique with Tagitsuhime."
"Although you're capable of absorbing natural energy, you haven't actually begun training in Senjutsu. Your foundation is still weak, so you can't use the technique with me or Ichikishimahime."
"You'll only be able to perform the Coiling Serpent Technique with us once your strength reaches a certain level."
Kazuyama's face immediately fell. If I had known this earlier, I would've picked Tagorihime or Ichikishimahime instead...
"Brat! What do you mean by that?!" Tagitsuhime's eyes widened as she glared at him.
"Are you saying you look down on me?!"
"Let me tell you something! In terms of strength, I'm stronger than Ichikishimahime! And while I might not be as strong as Tagorihime, I'm pretty close!"
"How dare you underestimate me?!"
She looked ready to keep scolding him until the end of time.
Kazuyama sighed. "What choice do I have? Never mind, you'll do."
"I do need your help with something next."
"Hmph! What do you want?"
"I need your Genjutsu to help me deal with someone."
"Someone?"
"Yes—Tsunade, one of the Three Sannin of Konoha."
The three Snake Princesses immediately showed a flicker of curiosity.
As the rulers of Ryūchi Cave, they were well aware of the outside world's affairs. After all, Orochimaru was a contractee of Ryūchi Cave, and Tsunade was one of his legendary peers among the Three Sannin.
Kazuyama continued, "It's like this—Tsunade is powerful, and she's one of the Three Sannin."
"But after the Second Shinobi World War, she developed a fear of blood."
"As Orochimaru's disciple, I can't just stand by and watch someone of her caliber suffer like that."
"So I plan to use Ryūchi Cave's Genjutsu to help Tsunade overcome her fear of blood."
He spoke with righteous conviction.
...But in his heart, a mischievous grin had already formed.
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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